Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	authority_n	church_n	presbyter_n	2,629	5	9.7095	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10380	A warning to come out of Babylon, in a sermon preached by Master Andrew Ramsay, minister at Edinburgh; at the receiving of Mr. Thomas Abernethie, sometime Jesuite, into the societie of the truely reformed Church of Scotland	Ramsay, Andrew, 1574-1660.	1638 (1638)	STC 20657; ESTC S115617	27,981	57

4. Senten that before the Lateran councell which was near twelve hundred years after Christ transubstantiation was no article of Faith In the Romane church the innocent person whether man or woman is debarred of the benefite of marriage after divorce This was not of old as is manifest out of Fathers Councels and Decrees of the bishops of Rome Was auricular confession thought to bee of Divine authoritie and necessare for salvation when Nectarius a learned and godly bishop of Constantinople did abrogate the same which also Chrysostome his successor did reject as unnecessare The like did after him Cassianus and in these our later ages Cardinall Cajetan ● Rhenanus and Erasmus Was the lording power of prelates over Presbyters received when they could determine nothing without their consent as is certaine out of Cyprian and the fourth councell of Carthage Why are Presbyters now debarred from a definitive voice in councell which they had and enjoyed in the Christian church for many hundred years As is manifest out of many Councels as the second holden at Rome and these of Eliberis Sinuessa the fifth Toletan and that late Councel of Constans as is related by AEnaeas Sylvius in that hote contest which was between Panormitan and the Cardinal of Arels Do not this day in the Romane church Archimandritae do not the generals of religious orders to this day voice in their Councels And both of them are but Presbyters no Prelats These and many mo pretended antiquities in the Romane Church are nothing but meer novelties As to the precise periode of time when every errour did enter into the Church it is not requisite to be knowne When the Scribes and Pharisees asked Christ Iesus of unlawfull divocre pretending antiquitie for the same Christ answereth no other thing but that it was not so from the beginning It is sufficient then for us though we point not out the precise article of time when errour did creep in into the Church that it was not so from the beginning as we have demonstrate If they reply that the precise period of time is known when Arrianisme Nestorianisme and other heresies had their beginning I answere though it hold in some it will not hold in all Who can designe the precise period of time of unlawfull divorce Who can designe the precise period of time of idolatrie The Jewes against the word sacrifized upon Mountaines but who knoweth the precise time The Saducees believed neither Angel nor spirit and the beginning of this damnable doctrine is not agreed upon The Scribes and Pharisees leavened the word of God with their traditions and inventions But the originall of these errours who can tell Laicks were deprived of the cup at the communion which is a breach of Christs institution The private and solitare communion of the Priest without the people used daylie in the Romane church is contrare to the word of God practise of the Ancients and Canons of Councels and who knoweth the beginning thereof The communion was given unto new borne children before the use of reason and was universally received and approven in the dayes of Cyprian and Augustine and who knoweth the originall of the same● The custome of the church of old was first to enjoine repentance and after the performance of it to give absolution But now in a preposterous order absolution is first keeped then penance imposed to be performed afterward The beginning of this change who can tell There was hereticks named 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because the source and fountaine from whence this heresie did spring was unknowne Shall we say that a man sick of a consumption is not diseased because we know not when his disease began The masse of errours wherewith the Romane Church is loadened is called a Mysterie of iniquitie because as a mysterie is dark they came in d●rkly And the good seed being sowen the ill One is said to have sowen cockle and darnell in the night Now as darnell and cockle while they are in the blade can hardly be discerned from wheat but in the fruit they are discerned of all so the errours of the Romane Church came in so ma●ked and disguised that they were not perceived but when they came to the fruit and maturity then were they sensible to all that had eyes to see For clearing of this it is to be observed that three wayes errours have beene introduced in the Romane Church first Secretly next openly undercolour of law thirdly by force and violence Secretly invocation of Saints crosses images purgatorie the sacrifice of the masse authorizing of Apocryp● books and many other corrupt and erroneous doctrines these I say were brought in secretly and mystically by certaine degrees unknown at the first till they did show themselves in their owne colours when they came to the fruit and maturity Invocation of Saints had its originall from the festivall dayes dedicat to Saints first in the church of Smyrna for the commemoration of the martyrdome of Polyearpus bishop there but it did not stay at a bare commemoration of the death of the martyre and thanksgiving to God but this mysterie grew from a commemoration to publick banqueting in the annuall festivities of Saints and from publick banqueting to nomination in Church prayer from nomination to Rhetorick compellation and from that to invocation and consequentlie to idolatrie Likewise the signe of the crosse was used for a symbole of gloriation that Christians were not ashamed but did glorie in the crosse of Christ then it became impetrative as a virtuall prayer for sanctification thereafter operative for expelling of divels and diseases and from aeriall crosses they came to materiall crosse and from a relative worship of them to a terminative inferiour worship and from that to a divine worship Images was also first received as ornaments to beautifie the church thereafter as books to teach the unlearned then they became conduits only to convoy worship to the Samplate till at last they were adored Prayer for the dead is not founded upon scripture as Epiphanius against Aërius confesseth but upon tradition which often is deceatfull and ever uncertaine It was unknown to the apostles c their disciples and others succeding them who thought the souls to rest sequestrat in secret places expecting the second coming of Christ Afterward least the soule should seeme to be mortall and the Saints departed to be Gods as witnesseth Epiphanius they did broach this superstition which was advanced by a new conceit that the souls after this life did either reside in the outward porch of heaven before their entrie or if they were in heaven did not attaine at the first to the full fruition of God which made Augustine to pray for his father Patricius and others whom he affirmeth to be in the heavenly Hierusalem and if they were in the heavenlie Hierusalem why doth hee pray for them but that they might as hee thought come more speedily to